Artslandia at the Performance: Portland Playhouse Nov/Dec 2014

FEATURE URCHES CH -of- CULTURE PORTLAND PLAYHOUSE 602 NE PRESCOTT ST. CAPACITY: 90 WAS German Orthodox*, then changed hands to a Baptist congregation during the WWII era. Portland Playhouse acquired it in 2008, but met a hitch in 2011-12 when the city challenged its lease as “retail” rather than “community use.” The King Neighborhood Association and theater community rallied to save it, declaring the theater “a place where meaning is made.” High ceilings. Resonant acoustics. Low natural light. When you think about it, churches share a lot of features with theaters. No wonder some of Portland’s favorite performance spaces are former houses of worship. These six venues in particular prove that even when a church converts to hosting the arts, it remains a sacred space. BY A.L. ADAMS IS NOW TRIANGLE PRODUCTIONS SANCTUARY 1785 NE SANDY BLVD. ATTEND Portland Playhouse theater space and Waldorf School. A Christmas Carol, Dec. 5-29. ALBERTA ABBEY CAPACITY: 150 126 NE ALBERTA ST. CAPACITY: 400 WAS WAS Farmer’s Insurance regional headquarters from 1943 to the ‘60s, then a Salvation Army chapel until ‘95, when the organization moved across the street. Bought and sold once more by investors who allegedly “went belly-up.” IS NOW 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, Nov. 28Dec. 20. A mixed-use building with a live-in caretaker. Between Sunday Pentecostal services, a political action nonproﬁt, a mortician, an architect, a recording engineer and more ply their secular trades and the sanctuary space hosts ambient and experimental music.* ATTEND Triangle Productions’ theater space, hosting some of the city’s more irreverent plays and musicals. IS NOW Mallory Avenue Baptist Church ATTEND Portland Story Theater Urban Tellers, Nov. 8 and Dec. 13. ARTSLANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 31

Artslandia at the Performance: Portland Playhouse Nov/Dec 2014 | Page 31